Team Shintaro
by Zueman
Summary: Kirigakure has fought against Konoha and their ally Suna for months. After a devastating attack against Kiri forces the Second Mizukage made a desperate attempt. He assembled a force that had the elite of the elite. Team Shintaro is part of such group and these are the trials the team faced at the front lines.
1. Taiga

Taiga was doing fine. That's what she told herself while being pushed back and enemies advancing. Their line had been broken by a powerful fire dragon that came from behind them. The infiltrator had been put down quickly but his mission had been completed. Her battalion was in disorder with a gaping hole in their defense that invited their enemy to come in. The enemy, having prestigious manners, accepted the invitation with a grin on their face. When their line was broken it was somewhat troublesome, when the enemy started attacking it was downright horrible.

Enemy ninja and samurai were coming like a flood into their campsite. A courier genin team brought the battalion time to retreat and regroup, or at least tried to. It was really brave of the genin, Taiga thought, as she ran deeper into her territory. The genin knew they would not make it even if they survived the first encounter with the enemy. Instead, they went kamikaze, riddled with explosive tags they ran to the enemy while screaming at the top of their lungs. The explosion was a distraction big enough to disrupt advancing enemy. Taiga was sure their names would be engraved onto the monolith for village heroes. It would be nice to be remembered as a hero and not an assassin. It was something most ninjas desired but that privilege was only for the brave or lucky.

The sound of a tree falling in the distance made Taiga come back to reality. She put on a burst of speed and moved deeper into the maws of the forest. Branches creaked and sometimes snapped as she jumped from tree to tree. Getting away fast was the top priority, later came regrouping with hopefully competent comrades, and finally was getting another profession besides being a ninja.

She honestly did not know what went through her head when the opportunity to become an academy student arose. It must have been the propaganda but that was just pushing the blame on to something else. It was truly all her fault, embracing a death trap with open arms like the idiot she was. The only plus that came out of being a professional killer was that the village gave her an apartment free of rent. Sure it was run down and the pipes clogged but it was something.

The sound of metal against metal broke through the trees and reached Taiga's ears. It came from the West from where she was, changing her course she slowed and became quite as she advanced towards the sound. The battle was probably being fought by only two persons if the lack of sound and explosions was any indicator. Her plan was simple, join her ally and overwhelm whoever the opponent was. This would kill an enemy and give her a meat shield if things went south while she traveled to regroup.

She landed on a tree that was on the outskirts of the battle. Pressing herself against a branch she crawled forward until the battle could be seen. It was worse than what Taiga expected. There were three enemy shinobi throwing kunai and shuriken against an earth dome some yards in front of them. The lack of justsu and exploding tags told her that the enemy was out of chakra or wanted to conserve it. Taiga, by divine chance, was situated just above the enemy shinobi who were oblivious to her presence. It was clear that her ally was in the dome praying for reinforcements to appear. It seemed like god did not answer the prayer as she would not intervene in something that spelled death from wherever you looked at it.

Just as she was about to leave the poor ninja to his certain death the dome split in half similar to an egg. Out of the dome came dozens of water needles directed towards the ninja below Taiga. The ninja dispersed and hid behind the trees around Taiga, this put her on edge. If only one of them were to look up she would be busted. The needles diminished in quantity until none advanced anymore. Taiga, at the lack of needles, looked towards the broken dome where she could see a teen kneeling as exhaustion made him succumb. It was then that the teen looked up to the trees, probably cursing the god above, and caught Taiga's eye.

Well, she may be unlucky but this was absurd, what was the chance of the guy down below seeing her? Apparently very big! Now she had to get down and fight alongside him just because he caught her stare, unbelievable. It was something similar to making eye contact with an acquaintance on the street. If you did not go and make small talk and just ran off the action would be considered weird and rude. Besides, if her comrade were to survive somehow and report her of not helping in the fight her actions could be considered treason. That was a path Taiga would not take whatever it took, if she did only death would meet her at the end.

Breathing deeply and cursing her existence Taiga took out a kunai from her holster and aimed it at the ninja closest from her. The thrown kunai flew perfectly, obtaining a deadly beauty in its flight. The object made its way between trunks and branches, grazing some but never directly hitting its obstacles. It struck its target and buried itself inches deep into the ninja's skull.

The kill was made quick and efficiently. The ninja did not comprehend what had transpired. When the kunai struck and ended his life there was no time to react. He did not think. Did not think about all the regrets of his life, what could have been if he had made another choice. He did not see all the faces he killed or get to think about the guilt that kept him awake at nights. The sound of the lullaby his mother sang never passed through his mind. He did not remember the friends and comrades he had made. All the happy memories that gave him strength and courage were not sought out to help him. He especially did not think back on a nephew he had in his village. All the time he spent together playing and talking to his nephew did not mean anything to him. He did not think that his nephew would grow old and become a ninja bend on revenge against Kirigakure.

In the end, there was no time to dwell on any of those things. His death was swift with no room left to think. In a way it was mercy, Taiga thought. The job of being a ninja, if it could be called that, was one filled with hardships that no human being should witness. That was the reason why many ninjas abandoned their humanity and sometimes sanity, that way guilt, rage, and sorrow could never reach them.

The corpse fell on his back hitting the dirt and sending dust into the air. The sound alerted the ninja nearby and after looking at their dead commander they exploded into action. One whipped his head upwards and started making hand-seals while the other went into hiding behind a trunk. Taiga knowing that getting away before the attack was futile decided to take cover. Judging by the few hand seals she saw it was probably a wind technique. She prayed the purpose was to push instead of cut. Hoping that maybe faith was in her favor she readied some kunai.

When the tree she was on started swaying and not falling down relieve flooded trough her. It was clear their intention was to bring out their enemy instead of killing. A dumb move in her opinion, but whatever they did wrong was right in her book. Sensing the technique come close to its end she readied her kunai and threw them up to the sky. The kunai were propelled by the dying winds of the jutsu making them go higher than her throw would ever allow. Her purpose filled Taiga made her way towards the broken dome while leaves and branches fell around her.

She skidded into the clearing and immediately ran towards the fallen teen in it. Reaching him it was clear he passed out from exhaustion. Taiga quickly fed him a soldier pill from her stash. Seeing no ninja nearby meant that her kunai trap had worked. In moments the boy's eyes opened and a groan escaped him. From pain or the injustice he found himself in Taiga guessed it was the second option. Shaking her head to disperse her thoughts she concentrated on the boy. "Alright boy-o, what rank and division are you from?" Another groan was emitted from the boy as an answer. "What was that?! Speak, you idiot, they'll be coming back any second!"

* * *

The boy for his part was in what could only be described as hell. His body hurt whenever he thought about moving it, and the pounding on his head did not even let him think in the first place. Add to his predicament an angel that although pretty, asked him questions about his mortal life. How weird was that? Should it not be judging him or something of the sorts?

"Oi! Answer me you idiot."

She was also rude, but maybe this was part of his judgment? As for the question, maybe what the position he had earned made him more important in heaven. If so then the warmongers had it right which was a shame, he had preferred the view the monks had. An eyebrow of the angel twitched, maybe it would be best to answer her, what an impatient angel! "I'm a Kirigakure genin from the courier division 11." His voice was raspy and when he finished talking coughs rocked his body.

It looked like his answer did not please the angel, she looked ready to kill somebody. Good thing he was already dead, just imagine if he was alive! His amusement was broken when a more important thought occurred to him, was he even getting into heaven? Genin was a low position although being a courier was a step away from being chunin. That was worth something, right? Should he have lied to her?

The angel stood up and threw her arms above her head. "Perfect. Just perfect. I got a kid to deal with. Oi, get up you lazy ass, we're about to have company."

It was decided, Akita did not like the angel sent to get him. Would he get divine punishment for not obeying an order, he doubted it, but he wasn't eager to test the theory. Slowly and painfully he stood up until his feet were planted on the ground. The pain he felt was something he did not expect in heaven. Then a frightening thought crossed his mind, what if he was in hell?

It would make sense, he was a ninja, the job of the devil it was called. That would explain the questions about his rank, to see what punishment he should receive. Being in hell would also explain why the angel, now a demon, was insufferable. The question now was to wait for his punishment or to try and escape. His plan to knock out the demon and run for his life was interrupted by the arrival of two figures.

The bushes in front of him rustled slightly before two men came out in a burst of speed. They had green vests with a blue suit underneath, Konohagakure headbands adorned their heads. The demon was saying something to them but Akita was not paying attention. He was looking intently at the new arrivals. The men registered immediately in his mind, and if they were in hell that could only mean one thing. He had killed them with his last jutsu.

How awesome was he? A genin defeating not one but two opponent chunin! He was awesome alright. Yet, his initial problem still remained. How was he going to escape punishment with three enemies close by? A smoke bomb might be the answer, if he could only reach it discreetly.

A kunai was launched by a Konoha-nin but it was caught by the ring courtesy of the demon. That took some serious skill; it was obvious that fighting the demon would not turn alright for him. The two men looked at each other, nodded, and rushed towards them. The demon broke off from his side to intercept them. One jumped over the demon while the other stayed behind and begun engaging her in battle. The one who jumped begun to run towards Akita with his face set in a frown.

It was weird, to say the least, they were already dead but still wanted to kill each other. Could there not be peace even in the afterlife? Then again, this was hell so it was to be expected. Following trough that logic, what would happen when someone died in hell? Would they be killed again or disappear completely? So many questions and not enough time to answer them, especially with the man running towards him. Either way, if the Konoha-nin wanted a fight he would get it.

Taking a kunai out Akita met the man before he could reach him. Sparks flew as metal ground against itself. Both combatants locked eyes with each other for a second before they jumped back some yards. Without any preamble, both rushed towards each other again. It was pure hand to hand combat here, neither had any chakra to throw jutsu around. Akita jumped over a sweep kick and tried to stomp on the offending leg but missed by inches. The momentum of his opponent carried him into a roundhouse that Akita ducked under. He stabbed upwards with the kunai but only managed to graze the leg instead of piercing it.

The Konoha-nin moved back rapidly after his failed attack and brought his hands to the injury on his leg. Narrowing his eyes he moved to Akita again. This time instead of a straight line he moved erratically, swaying from left to right. The boy tried to put on a defense but it was not fast enough. A kick connected to his abdomen that brought him parallel to the ground. The ninja acted on the opportunity and jumped to deliver an ax kick. Akita hastily crossed his arms to receive the brunt of the arm broke while the kick connected to his chest. Akita bounced off the ground once before lying face down, unresponsive.

* * *

The ninja jumped back and waited for the teen to rise. When nothing happened he launched a kunai at the boy. Before it would have hit the target its course deviated. A spark flew and two kunai were embedded in the dirt a few centimeters from the Akita's head. Taiga walked slowly in front of the prone body of Akita and picked up the two kunai.

Looking at the Konoha-nin from head to toe she spoke, "can't let you do that, buddy."

Her chestnut hair was matted down with blood and sweat. Some hair strands stuck to her forehead and cheeks. Her flak jacket shoulder pads were torn off. Small blood patches decorated her left leg near the ankle. She also had a small trail of blood that ran from her temple over her lips and down to her chin. Despite the poor state Taiga was in she smirked, her teeth were bloody. The small facial gesture unnerved the Konoha-nin. It held no real emotion, not portraying any feelings or thoughts to the exterior, it just was. It held a cruelness that only monsters possessed.

Within a blink of an eye two kunai that Taiga held were thrown forward. After another blink they were deflected upwards, by the Konoha-nin, causing a small spark. Wasting no time to retaliate the ninja sped to Taiga. Both opponents met in the middle of the clearing with a clash.

Taiga began with strong and fast punches aimed towards his chest. The Konoha-nin blocked but it was easily broken as Taiga was stronger than what he anticipated. He began to step back and lose ground as Taiga kept on attacking. The enemy blocked for an uppercut but it never came. Taking the opening her faint had created she swept her leg. With her opponent of balance, she delivered a punch to his face.

The sound of bone on bone was heard throughout the forest. The ninja was sent flying back until a tree stopped the gained momentum. Birds flew from their perches situated high in the tree that was hit. The ninja slumped to the floor to form a pile of broken bones and damaged muscles. Taiga approached the fallen kunai that had been deflected, she pocketed one and the other one she threw at her enemy. It cut the wind with a soft whistle until it hit the skull of the man. Nodding to herself she looked behind her to check on Akita.

She expected him to still be unconscious on the ground. It was a surprise to find him limping away from the clearing. His movements were jerky and clumsy, probably from the concussion he would be sporting. Akita turned his head and caught a glimpse of Taiga walking towards him at a slow pace but somehow still gaining on him. He tried to speed up but only ended up tripping and falling down face first. Trying to get up was fruitless as he could not even move his head. It was short of a miracle that he was able to advance those few painful steps.

"What the hell are you trying to do boy-o? Spoke Taiga.

A groan escaped Akita.

"Speak up! Can't hear crap with your face in the mud."

Another groan was emitted.

"Whatever. Get up boy-o and let's get out of here before someone else comes." Akita was unresponsive this time. She prodded him with her foot but not even a groan that he loved so much was heard. With a sigh and some arm stretches she snatched up Akita from the ground and slung him over her shoulder. With a last look around the small clearing she left towards her rendezvous point.

* * *

 **So hey, name's Zueman, and this is my first fic. Hoped you enjoyed what you read and hope to hear from you all. This won't really have an schedule as this story is just pretty much practice and a fun way to pass time. Look forward to next chapter where Akita and Taiga actually interact.**


	2. Taiga's Realization

Taiga's hair blew behind her in a disarray. After the small skirmish with the Konoha ninja, there wasn't a single moment to waste, never mind arrange her hair into a ponytail. It was a good thing she kept it just below the neck or otherwise her hair might have tangled in the branches above her. Considering the speed she was going at a knot might have been ripped off directly from her scalp, not something pretty to be thinking about.

Her next leap was just short of the branch she was aiming at. It was close enough to plant her feet against a trunk and stick with chakra, however. Shaking her head Taiga walked the length of the trunk to the ground below and sat down. Putting the boy on the ground she moved her shoulder in small circles trying to get the smartening to stop. If she carried the boy some more it might damage some muscles around her arm. That prospect was unacceptable as it would affect their chances to live. If someone attacked them again she would not be able to fight like before. Her chakra was a hair strand from being depleted, something obvious considering her lackluster performance in the previous jump.

Stretching her other arm she began to think while looking up. Although the canopy covered most of the sky there were still patches of blue peeking through the foliage. Small sun rays filled the air making dust particles dance in the air. It was something pretty to look at, nothing like the sky in Water Country. At the islands, the sky was gray most of the time while occasionally sunny, although that was as rare as rain in Wind Country.

Having finished her stretches she got up, gathered the unconscious boy, and begun walking on the ground. Traveling by branch jumping was out of the question as her chakra need to regenerate. After some yards she stopped altogether and looked in front of her without really seeing. She stood paralyzed, eyes clouded over and sweat running down her face. It was a flower on the ground that had caught her attention.

It was barely more than an inch above the ground and the stem looked fragile, a miracle it was growing upright. The true allure of the flower was its petals. They were a dull red with the border being an ocean blue. The center, instead of a usual yellow, was a bright green that made a nice contrast to the petals. While the flower was without a doubt beautiful and exotic it was not what was really interesting about it. The fact that it was intact in a sea of prone bodies captivated Taiga's attention.

The flower stood in the center of the forest floor while bodies surrounded it. The gray vest was a giveaway to what nation they belonged to. Puddles of blood surrounding the bodies intermingled and formed a gory river that ran close the flower and down towards Taiga's feet. Some of the cadavers were missing limbs and other were charred to a disgusting black. A particular body was facing up, its eyes closed to the beautiful afternoon sky.

Taiga fell down to her knees, dropping her load in the process. A small breeze passed through the forest bringing the pungent smell of charred meat and hair. Covering her mouth and nose with her hand she breathed deeply, trying not to vomit. Closing her eyes she began to count slowly until reaching seven. After some time passed Taiga walked towards the cadavers. She reached the body who was facing up and let out a small shriek.

It was the captain of her battalion, a stern man with strong hands and stronger jutsu. He had the respect of everyone he met, may they be higher ranking officials or rookies from the academy. It was an inert talent that he had, something Taiga was strongly jealous about. To see him on the ground with various shuriken embedded into his chest was disheartening. The captain was the foundation of everyone, if he fell then the rest were sure to follow. Although it was obvious he went down fighting as he still held a bloody kunai with an incredible grip.

Shaking her head Taiga went around the bodies looking at the faces that were not burned and turning over those that were facing down. When she arrived near her ex-captain again she was sure half of these people were from her battalion and the other half reinforcements. They must of have converged and run back to camp but sadly ran into an ambush. This was bad, really bad. The lack of evidence that Konoha ninja were killed meant it was a big group to overwhelm a dozen of her comrades. It was a good thing she was held back by helping the boy. If not she would probably be with this lot, dead and burned beyond recognition. It would be a shame to end her stellar career in such a fashion.

What really bugged her was that the Konoha ninja had the courage to push her line so far back. It was only a few hours on foot until she reached the West Camp. Meaning it was filled to the brim with Kiri ninja ready to defend oncoming attacks. Now that Taiga really thought about it, it was peculiar that a chunin team advancing on enemy ground would stop to deal with a genin.

Even if it was for interrogation purposes brats like the boy were the lowest rank and did not have any valuable information for the enemy. Hell, even she, a chunin, was in the dark about things that would seem useful to the enemy. The most she knew was the day's patrol route, and that changed almost daily. Besides, it looked like they were trying to kill the boy instead of capturing him, weird.

Shrugging her shoulders and deciding to ask the boy about his fight later Taiga put the matter on the back burner. The brunette went about collecting the ID tags of the dead ninjas. It was code to collect the identifications of fallen comrades, that way the village could more easily manage their personal, knowing who was dead and all. It also brought the plus to know who to deliver the bad news to. During her task Taiga borrowed a bandanna from one of the dead and covered her mouth and nose; no sense in smelling an odor that would make her vomit.

While going through her second burned body, and fifth overall, to see if the ID had survived her head snapped towards some rustling. It was the boy who seemed to be waking up. That was good, it meant she could have a helper in the gruesome task. She quickly finished her search, not finding and ID which was a shame, and walked towards the boy who seemed to be finally awake. Before she could even utter a single word the boy spoke.

"I didn't even kill anyone yet. I should be in heaven!"

Okay. Weird, but not the strangest thing she heard in her lifetime. Sitting beside the laying boy she turned her gaze towards him. It was clear he was scared, his eyes gave it away immediately. Thinking he was probably having a panic attack Taiga tried to calm him down. "Hey, don't worry boy-o, you're safe."

He did not seem to hear anything as he tried to edge away from her. It was useless as he had a broken arm and probably a concussion. The action irritated Taiga to no end. She, a gentle and pure soul, saved this boy when he needed help and all she received was being treated like a demon. "OI! Didn't you hear? You. Are. Save"

His response was something even weirder than before. "Stay away from me, demon!"

Demon? Could the brat read minds? Most importantly to be called a demon, the nerve. She wasn't that bad looking. Hell, she even got asked out on dates every once in a blue moon. Then again, the guys were drunk, it was a bar, and the lights were dimmed, but all that was beside the point. "All right. What the hell are you talking about, boy-o?" The boy made a thin line with his lips and kept on shuffling. Shaking her head she analyzed the boy for the first time.

His hair was a dull white although that might have been the dirt. A small scar was on his cheek, still pink in color, probably the work of a hurried healing by a medic-nin. His chin was sharp, similar to his nose, with some light stubble on it. The boy was probably an older genin then, unusual in wartime. Most genin were promoted before the age where they hit puberty. He was clothed in a gray hoodie with black pants and, of course, the trusty sandals of every ninja. His headband was tied around his bicep, unorthodox, but there was not a set code on how to wear it.

It seemed the boy resigned to get away and stopped his movements. His eyes still were paranoid though probably expecting a surprise attack or something. She spoke in a slow manner as to not alert the boy further. "Look, boy-o, you really are safe," her eyes flickered to the bodies for a moment. "How about telling me your name? Mine's Taiga."

The boy squinted his eyes and looked somewhere above Taiga's head. "Why would you like to know my name? It's so you can torture me while mocking me, right? Get away demon!"

Alright, screw being sensitive around the brat. "Listen here you little brat, when I count to three you are going to apologize, you hear me?" The boy turned his head away from Taiga.

"One" His movements begun a new. Just like a worm he tried to slide away. He might actually get hurt while doing this. After all, he was still hurt from his previous fights.

"Two" Oh? Was that just an inch that he advanced towards the left? Maybe the boy was stronger than he looked.

"Two-and-a-half" Nah, just her imagination. He was still in the same place as before.

"Three!" He stopped moving altogether. His breathing became calm and stabilized, nothing like before. Taiga moved the boy with the tip of her foot. Nothing happened, not even the groan she was expecting. Moving him harder it was clear he had passed out again. Shaking her head she looked towards the sky and cursed god once again. Now her helper was sleeping while she had to go back and search dead bodies. Joy.

* * *

Wiping her brow with the back of her hand Taiga looked at her handiwork. All the bodies were moved under a bush at the base of a tree. They had been placed one over another to make an organized pile. While she could have done better it was best if she advanced towards her camp as soon as possible, better if she beat the sunset. There were maybe another two hours before it became dark and the real problems began.

"Why did you do that?"

Ah! So the brat had decided to speak. She was aware that he had regained consciousness for a while now. Seeing how their last chat had ended it seemed better to leave him be. Besides, there was no way he was getting away without help. Turning towards the boy she asked, "Feeling better?"

After he passed out she propped him against a tree so he was sitting down. He narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly, "You are not a demon. Are you?"

"Sorry to disappoint but it's just me, a perfect beauty from heaven." That seemed to do something as the boy instantly brightened his mood.

"So you are an angel! I knew it."

Taiga shook her head in disgust. "No. I am a human being, just like you."

They boy narrowed his eyes again and looked and his surroundings intently. "So, I'm not dead?"

That caught her off guard. Dead? "Er...sorry to disappoint?"

His eyes widened and he became very still. After a moment he looked at her as if looking for an answer. Finally, he asked something that should have been obvious from the start. "So, you were the person that I saw in the trees!"

Taiga nodded slowly, was this kid that dense? "Yeah, and I'm the one who also saved you after you passed out like a sissy." Call her mean but she could not resist insulting the little brat where it hurt most, his manly pride.

For his part the boy did not react negatively at all, instead, he smiled. "Holy mothering shit, I fought three chunin and lived!" He stared at Taiga happily without a care in the world. "This will make them promote me for sure!"

Taiga doubted it as she did the bulk of the work but it was better not to pop the boy's bubble. It was still curious though, why did three chunin target a simple genin while being behind enemy lines? "Oi, boy-o, let me ask you something."

"Name's Akita."

"Yeah whatever, listen, tell me exactly how you encountered those chunin," Taiga said while looking up, "and make it quick, we are losing daylight."

According to Akita, he was on his way to deliver a message, containing the info for the incoming reinforcements, to her battalion. He was making a good time until there was an explosion some kilometers ahead of him. After abandoning the road and heading for cover in the forest he encountered Konoha ninja advancing towards the camp that he had left, he supposed. Thinking fast he made a dome of earth somewhat hidden. By the mercy of a nonexistent god, no one noticed it until the main force passed and some stragglers happened to come to close to his dome. After that, it was a chase until they cornered him inside the clearing where Taiga found him.

"And thank god you found me, Taiga, or I would of been a goner."

"Yeah." It was really lucky of the boy that no one from the main force noticed him. Still, something really troubled her. "So just to be clear, you never encountered a Kiri-nin other than me?"

He shook his head.

Something was up. The main force that Akita saw must have been the one chasing her retreating battalion meaning in front of the Konoha ninja there must have been some of her comrades. But that was not the case here, instead, it seemed as if there were already Konoha ninja inside Kiri territory. That only left a possibility that was not pretty to think about. She stood up and carried Akita on her back after some weak protest from the boy. She headed towards the bush with the bodies in it. "Oi, boy-o, these people, were they the reinforcements?"

"Y-yeah, they were." His tone was somber. Probably some of the cadavers were acquaintances. "But there were many more than just six people traveling together."

"How many more?"

"No idea. I have an encoded message with the details for the battalion leader though."

Taiga sighed, "Not much help as the guy is with this lot. Are you sure there were more than just a small group?"

"Yeah, many more."

Bad, bad, bad, bad, so fucking bad. "You know what this means, right?"

"Er...maybe?" Akita shrugged when Taiga turned her head and gave him a sharp look.

"Idiot! It means they passed our lines."

"Meaning...?"

"That we are in a shitload of trouble." And it was true. If Konoha ninjas managed to pass through her line undetected it meant another line had been broken before hers and no news had gotten out. Seeing as the Konoha ninjas managed to scatter the reinforcements it seemed as if the advancing force was a platoon. And platoons were only used in frontal attacks to push back enemies.

She sat down to think while Akita slid off her back. If that was happening this far West it meant it could be happening all over the peninsula that was the current battlefield. It was an all-out attack against Kirigakure forces. If what she thought was correct her rendezvous point and main camp of the West was overrun with Konoha ninja by now. It meant they were the ones behind enemy lines as of the moment. No wonder the chunin took time out of their schedule to deal with a genin.

Nodding to herself she began to scratch a bastardized map of her current position with a kunai. She then marked where all the other Kiri-camps were. Sad to say there were only three scratches in the map; being a chunin she only knew the main one in the four cardinal positions. The North was probably destroyed and the East and West were most likely being destroyed at the moment. The only position left was the South Camp, the biggest one as it was the first one established in the Land of Fire.

The sky was now a light orange, only an hour or so until sunset. The light would last her until she arrived at the halfway point to the South Camp, maybe. If she headed West then it would probably last until she made it to the edges of the Camp. Of course that way was filled with Konoha ninja ready to kill them on sight.

"Taiga, you're mumbling," said Akita what seemed in forever.

The brunette stopped her moving hand. When did she star to move it? The map was filled with various arrows going to West and South with some directed towards the East. It was a mess. She had lost herself while thinking again. Shaking her head she responded, "Can you walk?"

Akita turned his head to the side. "I probably could if I had a soldier pill."

Taiga pressed her lips together. "How about half?"

He shrugged his shoulders. Taking her kunai she wiped it on her pants and cut a soldier pill in half. She gave Akita one half and the other she took herself. After swallowing it and making a face, due to the taste, she stood followed shortly by Akita.

She kicked the dirt and got rid of the map before stretching her arms. The sky was orange with hints of indigo. "Alright, boy-o here's what we're gonna do. We'll head West and stay behind the enemy as it goes towards the South Camp. If we play our cards right the enemy won't know we're there and we can regroup when they reach it." Sparring a look towards Akita she asked, "Still with me?"

"Sure. Follow behind the Konoha assholes and pray they don't see us. Piece of cake!" Akita said with a smile on his face.

* * *

 **The plot thickens. Next Chapter and the one after that a fight ensues.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	3. Hana

Hana looked at the injury critically. The arm she held was heavily bruised and was oddly bent at the elbow. Blood vessels and veins had ruptured making the arm take a purple hue with some patches of red. She felt how it pulsated with heat at each heartbeat of the patient. It was in a really bad shape, that was for sure. "Say, how long was it since it broke?"

The patient scratched his head and lifted his eyebrow. "I don't know. Two days. Maybe?"

"You don't know?" Hana said with a hint of amusement.

"Well, I've been knocked out these past days. I don't really know what day I got it broken." He moved his eyes to the arm. "Does it matter?"

Hana took a small sigh and said, "I guess not but it would help." She ran her gloved hands over the arm slowly before putting one over the wrist and the other over the shoulder. "This is going to hurt, you hear?" A head nod was the response of the patient. Her hands became encased in a soft green aura for some seconds before it dissipated. "You probably heard this before but don't try to resist my chakra."

"Sorry doc, just reflex."

"Right." The green aura flickered on again. She moved her hands delicately over the arm towards the elbow where both hands met. She then took a surgical knife from a table nearby and made a small cut on the elbow. Instantly blood began to flow from the cut on to a metal tray on the lap of the patient. After the steady flow changed to simple drops Hana put her glowing hand on the wound. After some seconds the cut scabbed over. "Get ready."

She began to apply pressure to the arm, which had regained a somewhat healthy color. Her hands begun to move from the shoulder to the forearm and back to the shoulder. This process took some excruciating minutes to finish. As time advanced the arm straightened itself slowly. When the arm was normal again Hana bandaged it strongly and put it in a sling. "Keep the arm still for rest of the day and tomorrow you can take the sling off. Keep it bandaged tight for a week after the sling is off. Understand?"

The patient smiled and looked at the bandaged arm. "Sure thing doc. Thanks for the help."

After the patient left, Hana cleaned the metal tray, smoothed out the bed sheet, and called out for the next patient. This time it was a deep cut across a woman's leg. It only took a few minutes before she was ready to go. "Keep the bandage tight. Understand?" She received a nod and the woman left with a slight limp. Hana gazed worriedly at the back of the woman while she left through the flap of the tent. Pursuing her lips she got more bandages from the cabinet at her left. They were running out very quickly. She would need to tell the head medic soon. Not that it would make much difference. War always brought a strain on everything, may that be supplies or people.

She finished organizing her supplies and called for the next patient. She could maybe do two more before taking a break. Her chakra was low but that always came with the job. The tent flap was just beginning to move when the deafening sound of a horn struck her ears. It rung out twice before being replaced by the shouted orders of jonins in the camp. She stopped moving, her muscles were paralyzed with confusion and fear. An explosion that shook the ground made the cabinet fall down. She looked at the strewn medical supplies on the ground detachedly. Slowly, she took a handful of items from the ground and shoved them inside her coat pockets. They were mostly painkillers and two surgical knives.

Another explosion brought her to reality. Bolting out of the tent she immediately bumped against a fellow ninja. She fell on her behind but moved quickly to avoid being trampled. Hana stood up and, with the rest of the crowd nearby, ran towards the center of the camp. A fire could be seen eating the north part of the camp. Explosions, not as big as the first one, still moved the ground beneath her feet making her legs wobble with each step. Nothing could be heard but the constant roar of the fire and the shouts of people fighting for their lives.

She was bumped around without anyone giving her a spare glance. Occasions as this made her hate her self-described lithe body. In reality she was below average height for a woman, much less a ninja. It was mainly her stature and physical ability that led her to be a medic ninja. She trudged slowly through the crowd until it reached the center of the camp. Many ninjas went to different tents thinning the crowd and making it possible to walk with elbow space. Hana jogged towards the tent in the middle.

Even some meters away she could clearly hear the canopy of frantic voices coming from inside the large tent. She moved the flap and was met with a pandemonium, albeit an organized one, somehow. People shouted and moved from place to place. Ninja entered and left at an alarming rate while genin brought crates with armament and provisions. She moved towards where the medics were supposed to meet but stopped just before the war-table in the middle. Her gaze moved over the map with precision. A breath caught in her throat. It was no secret that Konoha ninja were breathing down their necks, so to speak, but the amount of red dots on the map was alarming.

Her name was suddenly called, making her turn away from the map. The head medic was waving at her frantically. She moved towards the back of the tent while dodging people. "Hana! Quickly, we can't lose time." Her head flicked towards the group around her. "Maya, go with Nur to the East, fast!" Two women moved past her and exited the tent. "Nora and...you, over there, go with Hana to the North. Careful." She watched the trio leave before speaking once more but it was lost in the sea of voices around her.

They began to run, with Hana taking point while the other two flanked her. They were given a clear path by people around them once they saw the sky blue cloaks the group wore. Before long they reached a part of the camp where not a soul was in sight; they were getting close to the North wall. It was finally the unnamed individual, a man, who broke the silence.

"How bad do you think it is?" After receiving the no reply he spoke again. "The North I mean. That's where they must've come from, right?"

Hana glared at him before looking forwards again. "We'll have to keep at the edge of battle. Only get whoever you can without risking yourselves. Stay close to each other, Understand?"

"Right sensei," Nora spoke up.

As they got closer Hana adorned her surgical mask to try and combat the odor of burned skin. She could feel the heaviness of the smell on her skin, it covered her from head to toe, making ants crawl around the nape of her neck. It was as if moving against a current. She hated it and hated the war even more. Some part of her realized that she was probably overreacting, maybe. Then again, it was hard to ignore the charred bodies in her path.

Just before joining the battle the group separated. Nora ran with the man to the right while Hana went to the left. She entered the battlefield with hopes of not only surviving but also being able to help others do the same.

* * *

Taiga surveyed the battlefield from afar. She stood on a high branch, high enough that no enemy or ally would spot her. Akita sat beside her, his shoulders hunched, head down, and arm in a sling. The pair had been looking at the battlefield for a while. The dark blue of the sky after a sunset had rapidly appeared. She ran her eyes down below, looking at the destruction of the West Camp. Tents were on fire and there were craters on the ground where exploding notes had detonated. Fire ate the ground as ash and dust floated aimlessly in the air.

Akita suddenly stood up. Shadows hid his face from her view, it was a mystery as to what he was thinking. He, still not looking at Taiga, bowed deeply and said, "Thanks, Taiga. For everything. But I can't stand to watch anymore." He turned around and made to jump before being held back by Taiga. Her grip on his shoulders was strong, unyielding, similar to her expression.

"Can't let you kill yourself, boy-o," said Taiga. "We'll just have to wait a bit more, be patient." She let go of Akita and turned her head to the battle below.

He went to speak but Taiga stopped him. "Besides, it's not like you really want to help people. You are just after a promotion." It was a low hit, attacking the morals of someone, but she really did not want Akita to die. Even if she had to lower his self-esteem. Sacrifices sometimes had to be made. Akita sat down, chin on his chest. It was clear he was very upset. She ignored him and concentrated on the fight. Her thoughts wandered none the less. It was strange for her to actually care for someone, whoever that may be. Yet, she worried about Akita, as if he was someone important. Maybe it was the lack of sleep.

"We've been waiting for a long time now, and you tell me to be patient!? People are dying Taiga." His good arm swung wildly while his voice rose steadily.

"Yeah, I can hear them, and they can also hear us", Taiga pointed at the ground, "so you better be quiet, boy-o."

Silence descended after the exchange. Down below a Konoha-nin flew through the air before being cut in half by a stream of water. A fire dragon roared before launching itself at a group of kiri-ninja. Some jumped away before it landed, but as the dragon dispersed it left two charred bodies. As a retaliation water geysers shot up from the ground consuming ninja and leaving the air full of steam.

As the battle advanced time seemed to lose its grip on reality. Screams and explosions melted into one bloody symphony. The air filled both of their lungs with smoke and ash. As impossible as it was Akita had lost interest and his eyelids suddenly betrayed him. He leaned against Taiga and fell asleep without preamble. She turned her head to look at the teen beside her then closed her eyes herself. She knew it was a suicidal move, even more in the midst of battle, but she was really tired. Too tired to care if she was killed

* * *

Hana broke through the haze of smoke that surrounded the battlefield and ran. The floor shook from a fireball exploding nearby, making her stumble to the ground, hands ready to catch her fall. She rolled forward and broke into a sprint, intending to see where the most injured were gathered. Hana ignored her battling peers nearby, hoping they would be able to win. Her first patient was a man with a beard and an arm missing. She knelt beside him, ripped the arm of her coat, and tied the fabric around the stump.

There was no use in wasting chakra and bandages on someone who looked like a cadaver. No enemy would touch him and the bleeding had stopped.

He would live.

She traveled through the smoke. It was everywhere, like a bastardized mist jutsu of her village. Not thick enough to really obstruct visuality, but it was still difficult to see more than a few meters around. She ran, looking at scorched grass and cadavers laying everywhere, and soon enough it turned obvious that there was not an exact place to put the injured. They were scattered on the ground like blunt kunai. It was stupidly naive of her to think anyone would follow procedure during a surprise attack.

She turned and went to regroup with her fellow medics. She made it three steps before she ducked a kunai, then moved left to dodge another, and deflected the last one with her own. In front of her stood a Konoha-nin, a kunoichi by the looks of it. There were red fangs on her cheeks marking her as an Inuzuka. Both women locked eyes for a second, maybe shorter. Hana only shifted a step backward before her enemy began to run for her.

Hana knew better than to deal with an Inuzuka, she turned tail and begun to run away from her chasing predator. Her goal was to get out of the smoke like barrier. If she regrouped it may be possible to overpower her enemy. Further plans were stopped by a tackle that collided with her side. She rolled with the momentum and only sled on the earth while still managing to stand. Turning her head gave her sight to a very big dog. Hana cursed. She had hoped the Inuzuka's dog was already dead.

There was a growl before the dog launched at her. The paws were a dull red, almost brown, grass blades sticking to them. She jumped up and managed to throw her kunai down to the dog. It only grazed an ear, making the canine yelp. She landed, rolled forward, and broke into a run. It was not long before the dog had caught up with her. She tried to dodge the incoming bite but the dog was naturally faster than her. She went down, face first into the dirt. Her ankle throbbed with pain.

She turned, back towards the ground, to find the dog atop of her, its teeth bared while it growled lowly. Then...it was not. Hana had blinked and if by magic the dog disappeared into thin air. Or so it seemed like. She blinked again and looked around. To the left, a few meters away, lay the dog, bleeding from its stomach. A stalactite through its torso. Her savior had been an earth jutsu. It was probably a stray projectile, no one was around her after all. The Inuzuka was nowhere in sight.

Hana sat up and winced at the bloody mess that was her ankle. Blood seeped through the fabric, it was hard to know where the wound was actually located. Or, well, wounds, a bite left more than a single puncture. Lifting the fabric up gingerly, she began to apply chakra to it. She managed to stop the bleeding and close the wound partially, it wasn't pretty but running was now possible. It was a slow progress healing her own wound. No matter how much she modified her chakra her body still recognized it as her own. Medics did not heal their own wounds, they trained for the sake of others. Or so Hana liked to think.

Her thoughts were stopped by a sudden pain flaring from her shoulder. A kunai was the source, the hilt was the only part of it visible. Where had it come from? Hana jumped from her position and started to run again. She also thought that medics were definitely not supposed to fight. Much less with an arm already out of commission. Sparks to her right made her change directions, hopefully away from all the fighting.

She suddenly laid flat on the ground after listening to the whistle of a kunai. Then the medic rolled to the side to dodge an incoming hammerhead. Dust kicked up blinding her. Through the dust she heard a voice.

"Now, what's a doctor doing out here?"

The voice was gruff, deep and menacing. His speech was slow, each word said deliberately, as if talking to a small lost child. Hana supposed she looked the part. She opened her eyes, ignoring the dust stinging them, to see a man towering over her. He was a giant, at least to her eyes. The most notable fact about her opponent, besides his size, was that his vest was left open showing the Konoha insignia stitched on to his shirt. It was bold red.

"Stay still and I'll make this quick." He curved backward, hammer behind his back, then brought it down with all his weight. Approximately a 100 pounds of metal coming for her head at an impressive speed. Hana did a back handspring while yelping. The kunai was still in her arm, she hadn't bothered to take out, and the blade dug deep into her flesh. The ground shook and an even bigger dust cloud was lifted into the air. She turned away to run but a wall was raised from the ground blocking her path.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall," the man spoke from behind Hana. "Can't let you run away, doctor."

She turned slowly hoping for a miracle at this point. She could not defeat him. Her only advantage was her dexterity over his. She was small and fast compared to what she had seen from the man. Yet, her shoulder and kunai, would be an impediment to her so called advantage. There was no point in making the first move, she had no real offensive jutsu. And ninja tools seem like they would bounce off the man.

The konoha-nin took a step, hesitated, looked around, then leaped forward. He was slow, much too slow. Before he struck she flipped back, landed on the mud wall behind her, then jumped forward. Body horizontal to the ground. Behind her the wall exploded into bits, some pelting her back. She landed hard on her feet, faltering, before trying to run again.

"Earth Style: Spike"

Hana jumped as high as possible. Under her, the earth exploded upwards. The spike managed to scrape her sandal but thankfully did not pierce it. On a whim, she ripped the kunai from her shoulder and threw it behind her blindly. She landed and fell to her knees, the ankle injury was bleeding now same as her shoulder. Her enemy was still where he was last, surrounded by the crumbled mud wall.

"Thought I would attack you in the air?" His question was mocking in nature. "What am I? Stupid?", he shook his head, "don't talk much, do you doctor?"

Hana stayed silent.

"Well, it doesn't matter." He lifted his hammer and pounded the earth with it. The ground below Hana shook making her fall down on all fours. "I can't catch you. You're too fast for me, but it doesn't mean I can't trap you." His hands were a flurry of motion. "Earth Style: Mud Dome"

She tried to jump away, but only managed to do it partially. The dome closed above her knees putting pressure on her femurs. Hana cried out in pain. The man advanced with his war hammer hefted on top of his shoulder. His steps were menacing while his face was grim. When he was about three meters away when Hana withdrew a scalpel from inside her coat. She threw it forward intending to get one of his eyes, with luck it would reach the brain. Reflexes is what saved the Konoha-nin as he put covered his face. A grunt of pain was heard after.

"Damn it!" the man shouted. His hand was bleeding, the scalpel appeared to have gone through the hand. He yanked the blade and threw to the ground. "Damn it!" he repeated.

Hana's heart fell. That was her last trick. She had another scalpel but they were pretty much useless once the enemy was expecting them. They were flimsy and slower than any other blade. Their light weight also made them hard to aim. Her enemy advanced again, his lips in a snarl.

"Goodbye doctor."

The hammer fell, and as it did, she did a cross block with her forearms. They broke instantly producing a sharp, very audible, sound. The man winced, and Hana cried from the horrible pain she was felling. No matter how hard she tried to think her mind was muddled. A stream that before flowed was suddenly stagnant. Pain was the only compressible thought as of the moment. She was a wreck. Her head slumped sharply.

Would dying be painful? The thought was less than an echo but it gained volume as it coursed again and again. From one end to another it went, bouncing from inside her mind. It did not replace the pain but it dulled it in a way. Hana realized she was going to die and nothing could stop it. She opened her eyes to find her vision blurry from the tears. The man was raising his hammer again. It looked heavy, much too heavy. Another hit would be the end. The last thing she wanted to see was not the grim face of the Konoha-nin. Swallowing saliva and bile she looked up at the sky. It was a deep dark blue. Some stars shined brightly while other could be barely seen.

It was beautiful. Simply as that. No other word could describe what she was seeing.

It would be fine if she died like this. She could barely feel the pain and nothing seemed to matter anymore. She wondered again if dying would be painful. Sure the first impact would hurt but after that just...came something else. Would it be white noise? Or maybe a black void? Saying she was excited to know what could follow was a lie. No one really wanted to die. She knew this by watching patients. All of her patients who were close always had some kind of desperation in their eyes. They were dull and its light had long vanished. Did she have the same eyes?

She closed them. The beauty of the sky was imprinted on her mind anyhow.

* * *

"Wake up boy-o, we're moving."

Akita awoke with a startle. His hand went to his holster but found air instead of a kunai ring. His eyes cleared up as sleep lost its hold on the boy. "Taiga?" His voice was a whisper.

Taiga handed him her canteen. "The one and only. Now, come on, we're moving. The Konoha-nin finished."

Ninja moved through the scorched earth, already forming groups to travel with. It would be at least five hours before reaching the South camp. At least she had slept a few winks so she was all rested up...not. Taiga was dead tired and her chakra was still very low. Her hair was frizzled, her knees hurt same as her shoulders, her soles killed her, and to top it off, she was really hungry. She had no rations and...well, it was tempting to eat unknown berries at this point.

Akita handed her canteen back. It was almost empty. The boy was nice enough to leave her some. She chugged the rest then put it back on her hip. They could maybe find a stream while following the Konoha-nin. She stood up and jumped a few meters forward to the next branch. She landed on all fours, trying to reduce any noise produced. Akita followed soon afterward. Both waited for a moment before jumping again.

They had perfected following the platoon in the last few hours. They stayed behind them, but not by much, only a few meters at most. The important fact was they were very, very high up. They were lucky that the fire land had forests composed of massive trees. There had to be some kind of modification to them. No tree was naturally so big. At the islands, the tallest plants were algae that grew on the ocean floor and could be seen floating on the surface. Besides that, and some palms, there was little vegetation. The only good thing from this war was the sights she managed to see.

"Taiga, where're we going?"

That snapped her musings in two. "Huh?"

Akita rolled his eyes. "I said, where're we going? To the South Camp? At this hour?"

It was true. No self-respecting platoon marched on the enemy at night, no matter if they had homeland advantage. Especially with those people running around. "They'll probably rest a fair distance away from the camp." She looked to her side where Akita had just landed. "We'll use the cover of the night to reach South Camp."

The boy lifted his eyebrow. "Right, but we're dead tired, how'll we make it?" It wasn't an accusatory question but Taiga couldn't hear it as anything else.

His fears had a solid foundation. Their chakra was low and the boy had a broken arm, no concussion as she had believed earlier, thank that non-existent god. And if they reached camp, work was the only welcoming they would receive. "I don't know," Taiga whispered. "But it'll work out, alright, boy-o?"

He shook his head and whispered back, "sure Taiga, I'll follow you." Smiling he said, "oh, and Taiga, name's Akita."

It wasn't something nice, his smile. It was more like a grimace, small and filled with pain. Yet, she again had that feeling surface again. She cared for the boy. Was it because she felt responsible? Not likely. It probably was that she did not want to let her pay raise get killed. After all, saving a fellow ninja and killing three enemy chunin in the process was at least that. Maybe. In the end, it didn't really matter the reason.

Not really noticing her movements she smiled too. "Whatever, boy-o."


End file.
